It was this time last year that Asa Newell was preparing for his freshman season with the Georgia Bulldogs. He had signed as a highly-ranked prospect from a high school that hadn't lost a game in his senior season.

Now, fast forward a year, and Newell will begin preparing for his rookie season in the NBA after hearing his name called in the NBA Draft by the team he grew up watching.

"I'm super blessed to be here," Newell said Friday in his introductory press conference as a member of the Atlanta Hawks. "And you know, just growing up right down the road in Athens and growing up as a Hawks fan, this is a dream come true. I feel like I'm in a Disney movie."

The Montverde Academy product had his NBA dream come true Wednesday when NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced that the New Orleans Pelicans had selected the kid who originally grew up in Athens.

While the Pelicans were the team name on the draft card, it was a pick made for the Hawks. New Orleans traded the rights to Newell for Derik Queen, whom the Hawks selected at No. 13 overall.

Newell joined Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards as the most recent Georgia player to be selected in the first round. While he also became the first Bulldog the Hawks have selected in the first round since trading for NBA Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins ahead of his rookie season.

"I'm super excited to meet Nique," Newell said. "You know, I know his son pretty well, Jacob, he's the human highlight reel. But yeah, I have his jersey at home too."

Despite just spending one season in Athens before going to the NBA. Newell still made an impact on the Bulldogs' program. He led the Bulldogs in scoring, averaging 15.4 points per game, along with 6.9 rebounds and one block.

He was a member of the SEC All-Freshman team, as he helped Georgia to a 20-13 season that saw them end the program's 10-year NCAA Tournament drought.

It is that winning pedigree that Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh is hoping Newell can help bring to Atlanta.

"He's a winning player, like he makes winning plays. Like you can see, he's a freak athlete. He does all these different things on the court, but he's a winner," Saleh said. "Like the culture you brought to Georgia, and just talking with Coach White out there, he's a winner, and like, that's what we're trying to do here, bring in guys that want to win and compete."

Meanwhile, Newell's plan for helping bring that vision to life will be by bringing the same skillset he had in Athens to Atlanta.

"I bring a lot of defense, defensive energy, especially blocking shots, being able to guard on the perimeter, and, you know, stronger matchups down low in the post," Newell said. "And also just floor space and ability, super hard worker, contagious energy."